Jesuit John Carroll (1735 – 1815), founder of Georgetown University and the first bishop of Baltimore, was ordained during the depths of the suppression in 1790 but lived to see his beloved Society of Jesus restored in 1814. Noted 19th century portraitist Gilbert Stuart painted this image of Bishop Carroll, which hangs today in the president’s office at Georgetown University.

The Jesuits in the U.S. are planning a number of events throughout 2014 to mark the bicentennial of Pope Pius VII’s order to restore the Society of Jesus, which had been suppressed in 1773

2014 Marks 200th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Society of Jesus

January 3, 2014 — Today, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Church of the Gesù in Romewith fellow Jesuits for the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which is also the official start of the yearlong commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits in the U.S. are planning a number of events throughout the year to mark the bicentennial of Pope Pius VII’s order to restore the Society of Jesus, which had been suppressed in 1773.

Pressured by the royal courts of Portugal, France and Spain, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society, causing Jesuits throughout the world to renounce their vows and go into exile. The suppression lasted for 41 years, until the Society’s restoration on August 7, 1814.

“I pray that our grateful commemoration of this 200th anniversary of the Society’s reestablishment might be blessed with a deeper appropriation of our way of life and a more creative, generous and joyful commitment to give our lives in service for the greater glory of God,” said Jesuit Father General Adolfo Nicolás, Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Anniversary events in the U.S. will include a speakers’ bureau with Jesuit and lay collaborators. Speakers include Jesuit Fathers Tom Lucas, Mark Lewis, Gerald McKevitt, John Padberg and Thomas Worcester and Drs. Emmett Curran of Georgetown University, Robert Maryks of Boston College and Jonathan Wright of Durham University in the United Kingdom.

In addition, there will be two academic conferences. The Boston College conference, “Jesuit Survival and Restoration: 200th Anniversary Perspectives from Boston and Macau,” will take place June 11-15, 2014, and will examine aspects of the history of the restoration in east-central Europe/Russia, China and the United States. Loyola University Chicago’s conference, “Restored Jesuits and the American Experience,” will be held October 16–19, 2014.

September 13, 2019 — Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. James E. Fitzgerald, SJ, who died on September 12, 2019, at St. Camillus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was 84 years old. May he rest in peace.

August 27, 2019 — Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. Robert C. Thul, SJ, who died on August 25, 2019, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He was 89 years old. May he rest in peace.